Cincinnati parking plan likely headed to ballot

Amy Murray reviews petition signatures before submitting the forms to the city.

Credit Tana Weingartner / WVXU

Opponents of Cincinnati's parking lease deal turned in more than 19,000 petition signatures Thursday. That means it's likely the the issue will be on the November ballot. They need 8,522 valid signatures.

Former council woman Amy Murray thanked those who signed and circulated petitions.

"The people have the right to ask for this, to have a referendum," says Murray. "And it's something that people feel so passionate about. It will have a huge impact on our business districts."

The petitions will be available for public view at City Hall before being taken to the Board of Elections to be certified.

Cincinnati is asking the Ohio First District Court of Appeals to hear oral arguments concerning the city's parking lease plan on either April 18th or 22nd.

The city would like a decision by May 1st.

The city is proposing to file its brief with the court next Monday and for the opposing lawyers to provide their response by April 15th.

A lawyer for the other side said in a filing they can agree with that time schedule although there is a disagreement about how long the briefs should be. The city wants a 15 page limit, opposing attorneys are asking for 25 pages.